For many years, automobiles have employed electric lighting that serves a variety of functions. For instance, lights provide forward illumination (headlamps, auxiliary lamps), conspicuity (parking lights in front, taillights in rear), signaling (turn signals, hazards, brake lights, reversing lights), and convenience (dome lights, dashboard lighting), to name only a few applications. In recent years, light emitting diodes (LEDs) have become common in some of the lighting applications for automobiles. Compared with older incandescent bulbs, LEDs use less power, last longer, and have less heat output, making them well suited for automotive applications.
In general, for each known rear combination lamp, the appearance of the lamp is generally the same for all viewing angles.